Despite delays, Cypress Assistance Ministries moves forward on new building

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Although Cypress Assistance Ministries has seen construction and permitting delays on its new headquarters under construction on Cypress North Houston Road, officials said they hope to be in the new building within the next year.

CAM distributed 228 tons of food to Cy-Fair residents in need in 2018—up from 148 tons in 2014, Executive Director Martha Burnes said at the organization’s annual Angel Breakfast on April 30.

“As glad as I am that CAM can make that growth and be able to provide food to people who need it, it saddens me that that many more people need help,” she said. “But we’re coming together as a community, [and] Cy-Fair’s one of the most generous communities around.”

Funds raised at the event will help purchase fixtures, furniture and equipment for the new facility, which officials broke ground on in July.

Burnes said as demand for CAM’s financial assistance services increases each year, the organization has outgrown its current space at 11202 Huffmeister Road, Houston.

“If you’ve been to the food pantry, you know that the aisles are tight, we’ve got food stacked to the ceiling,” she said. “If you go to the CAM main building, you’re likely to see cases of toilet paper under somebody’s desk because that’s the only place we have to put it.”

Guest speaker and H-E-B President Scott McClelland spoke about the challenges stemming from Houston’s growing poverty rates, such as more economically disadvantaged students in local schools.

“It’s amazing to think that in Houston, Texas, one in five families today is food insecure,” he said. “They don’t know if they’re going to have enough food to eat today or tomorrow when they open up that pantry.”

McClelland said organizations such as the Houston Food Bank and CAM help support low-income families by providing healthy food, freeing up more funds so families can afford other essentials such as rent, health care and clothing for their children.

At CAM, families can pick out what they want from the food pantry based on family size and financial needs. The nonprofit also helps families pay rent and utility bills, offers ESL and GED classes, offers services for underemployed and unemployed individuals looking for jobs, and provides school supplies for children each fall and toys for children at Christmastime.

For more information about services offered at CAM or to learn about how to volunteer or contribute financially, visit www.cypressassistance.org.

Danica joined Community Impact Newspaper as a Cy-Fair reporter in May 2016 after graduating with a journalism degree from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. She became editor of the Cy-Fair edition in March 2020 and continues to cover education, local government, business, demographic trends, real estate development and nonprofits.

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